2010 - 4 years ago I sent a deposit for $13,000 for a desert bighorn hunt in Baja, Mexico with Ty Miller.
Ty later called to tell me the community where the hunt was to take place (the ejido) would not honor the hunt. They changed their "presidents" and the new one coming in would not honor it. I had hunted there 4 times before with him. Ty said he had sent them $20,000 for the deposit and now he was out $7,000 of his own money. That is not my problem; I did business with Ty and I'm not responsible for Ty's other business transactions. I own a trucking company and know how proper business is done.
At that time, Ty's wife came down with cancer and died about a year later. I did not want pursue the issue right away while this was happening. I was trying to give Ty time to get back on his feet from the tragedy. I have since tried working with Ty to get his money back but now Ty won't even return my calls/emails. Last time I talked he said he would pay me back $500 a month. But I said I wanted $7K up front and $500 a month after that. But he could not do that either. I just want my deposit back.

Seeking any
kind of restitution or other settlement from agent, outfitter
or guide? yes

If Seeking Restitution, What is Sought?

I just want my deposit back as this hunt never took place.

ADDITIONAL
HUNTER COMMENTS AND/OR OUTFITTER/BOOKING AGENT REBUTTAL

E-mail from Ty Miller to Barbara Crown, May 7, 2015: Barbara, Sorry that you did not have my current email as the elfuerte email account is closed. First I would like to say that Bill Foose is not just a client, he is a friend as well who has killed 4 desert sheep with us. I have wanted to pay back Bill his deposit for a long time. I have many other bills pending since trying to save my wife's life which unfortunately did not work. I have sold or lost about everything from cars to houses to pay hospital bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It is known to just about everyone that I am in serious financial distress but I keep pushing forward as positive as possible! At the same time I am raising my 9 and 11 year old daughters since we lost their mother over 2 years ago. Barbara, I hate excuses and prior to losing my wife I was always on my game and built a great hunting company. Many of my hunters have posted on your site! I offered some time ago a payment plan but Bill would not accept it. I am still trying my best to catch up with my bills. I just do not have money to hand to Bill. I wish he would have accepted a payment plan. I was hoping this past hunting season I could catch up but because of the Hurricane Odile we were cut back on permits. I will also mention that Bill has made it very clear to the Wild Sheep Foundation about what I owe him which has tarnished my relationship with WSF. Also he has spread the word through out the sheep hunting community. I have lost plenty already just from his talking to WSF and other sheep members. In closing all I can do is try and continue to save money to get Bill paid. Whether he knows it or not it is a high priority for me to get him paid. Thank you for reaching out to me and supporting Bill. Have a great day! Ty Miller

Subscriber-Written Trip Report On El Fuerte Outfitters Hunts

Below is one sample of such a Report which is made available to you FREE of Charge.

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If you want to forego the daunting permit application process for Desert Bighorn sheep in the Western States and decide to reach out and buy a permit in Mexico, then Ty Miller of El Fuerto Outfitters should be a top priority consideration. He is a personable, hands on outfitter who delivers on his promises, namely, getting you through the Mexican permit process and in and out of Mexico as smooth as possible. He and his family live in Mexico year round. Please not that Ty does not book you until he physically has the sheep permit in his possession; that way, he is assured he can deliver on his representations. This procedure, however, may rule out some hunters who are used to booking one or two years in advance.

This is Ty's fifth year in the hunting business in Southern Baja (he has been running a sport fishing business in Loreto/Cabo San Lucas for over 8 years), and he has guided a total of 11 hunters in his two different hunting areas during that time. All hunters got rams, and good ones at that.

I hunted his southern area, Ejido No 2., located north of the City of La Paz. I was the fourth hunter to hunt sheep there in the last five years and I was the first to hunt the particular set of mountains where I took my ram on the third day of the hunt. He green scored 171 2/8 according to the official Mexican scorer in La Paz. I saw several other rams and ewes in this area (one other 160 plus shooter), so the population is there.

Another hunter I met in camp had just finished his hunt in Ty's northern area (near Loreto) and he took a 164 1/8 green score ram in two days of hunting. A third hunter also filled out on a 160 plus ram from this same area.

If you take a ram, allow 4 to 5 days for CITES permits, official scoring, trophy registration and paperwork for firearms you need in order to get out of the country. Patience is necessary, as you don't just leave when you take the ram. In that regards, I had no problems with LAX customs when I reentered the United States.

Ty's camp accommodations are rustic but very comfortable. The atmosphere is upbeat. Food consists of fruit, grilled beef, chicken or eggs with tortillas. Plenty of bottled water is hauled into camp and available for the hunter. The scenery is high desert country.

The guides are as good as any I've ever been associated with. Jose was my head guide, and his ability to spot and judge the sheep, pick routes for the stalk and produce for the hunter is amazing. Assistant guide Jorge was similarly amazing. The guides speak only Spanish, although Ty normally accompanies the hunters who are concerned about English/Spanish issues. Communication was not a problem.

This is an opportunity to hunt areas that are truly managed, which is not always the case in Mexico. Ty Miller's goal is to take only 160 or better Class IV rams. He pays his guides year round to patrol the areas and keep poachers out of there. He is trying to model his Conservation Program on the successful Biosphere area, although I believe his dedication to his hunters' success goes beyond any model.

He is passionate about his work and his enthusiasm is contagious. His guides take enormous pride in getting a hunter up the mountain and down the mountain safely with a mature Class IV ram.

Although I had "Mexicophobia" before I took this trip, Ty's previous hunters I spoke to assured me this would be a good experience, and it was. Be aware that permitting issues and government paperwork in Mexico represent frustrations beyond Ty Miller's control. He is, after all, an American doing business in Mexico and the barriers to entry there are real.

After you do your homework with other outfitters and references, check out El Fuerte's track record. I think Ty's past hunters will confirm my observations in this report.

My thanks to Hunting Report for identifying this hunt. When I ordered a Desert bighorn report compilation from HR, Ty Miller's name was prominently mentioned in a number of those reports. That's where my research begins.

Subscriber-Written Trip Report On El Fuerte Outfitters Hunts

Below is one sample of such a Report which is made available to you FREE of Charge.

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HUNTER COMMENTS AND/OR OUTFITTER/BOOKING AGENT REBUTTAL

The hunt was on the Baja in Mexico, between LaPaz and Loreto. The country is beautiful. I had a chance at old yellow horned bachelor on the first day and blew it. Turns out the range was considerably longer than I thought. I was so excited I must have double pumped my rangefinder and it wouldn't work. After the first shot, the ram took off, and I took a running shot only to have the bullet hit the edge of a rock face 10 feet in front of me and blast us all with gravel shrapnel!

The ram I collected was on day five in a group of six. We spotted two of them from the top of one mountain around 8:30 AM. It took until 11:30 to get on their mountain and within 500 yards. We tried to close the distance but could not do so undetected, so we waited. We did get to watch two head butting contests, which was fun. At 2:30 all six were up and moving. If they went one way they would come to us, if they went another we would pursue them as soon as they went over the next ridge. Well, they split up with four coming our way, but our position wasn't as good as we thought. When they were out of sight we moved toward them. At 200 yards they came into view and I was ready. In fact, the other rams rejoined the group, so we were up to six again. Jose was holding up three fingers, I asked him if that was from the left or right? He indicated left (this sounds easier than it was as Jose did not speak English and I didn't speak Spanish). They were milling about and the best ram wasn't giving me a clean shot. About that time, they spotted us and got spooky. As they moved off, the ram I wanted gave me a clear shot, albeit quartering away, and I took it. Down he went, end over end. I reloaded and watched, then started to shake. I couldn't wait to get to the ram. We let the others get out of sight, which took 10 minutes but seemed like three hours.